Little Sister Is Not My Name! by Sharon M. Draper

It was fun because I was very successful at it. What did you enjoy the most about school?Įverything. I loved the reading and the writing it required.ĩ. What was your favorite subject in school?Įnglish, of course. I did not know it at the time, but all that early reading made me a writer.Ĩ. From all that reading I absorbed not just stories, but the rhythm of words on the page, the development of characters and plot and theme, the best use of language on a page. I read hundreds and hundreds of books between elementary school and high school. During summer vacation I read about ten books a week. I'd check out five or six books at a time. My favorite thing to do after school was go to the library.

I had great teachers who cared about me and helped me to learn as much as I could absorb. I made good grades and I really liked going to school. It was the cadence of my mother's voice and the rhythm of the repetitions that first fostered my love of books and the magic of words.ħ. The power of 'Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum' thrummed in my head, even though I was unaware that I loved the power and repetition in those words. The itsy, bitsy spider climbed into my mind and memory. The early rhythms of those rhymes became the background for words I wouldn't write for many years to come. She read tall tales and fables and wonderful stories. She'd read bright, colorful picture books to me, and even though I didn't know what those squiggles on the page were, I knew the pictures were glorious, and the sound of my mother's voice made the stories magic. My mother would hold me tight and tell me stories. Her voice, melodic and beautiful, drew images for me in my mind as she read of cats and queens and pretty maids all in a row. One of my earliest memories is the sound of my mother's voice, reading to me. My mother read to me even before I could walk or talk. What are your earliest memories of words and books? What early influences made you become a writer?

They wore the long black habits, and I thought they had no feet. I used to live next door to a nunnery and I was afraid of the nuns. What is one interesting bit of trivia about your childhood? I was reading long before I went to kindergarten.ĥ. Sitting on my mother's lap listening to her read Mother Goose poems and Dr. What is your favorite memory from when you were learning to read? I have a Bachelor's Degree, a Master's Degree, and three honorary Doctorate Degrees.Īny good book that is so well written that every single word is like a delicious bite to eat.The descriptions shimmer, and the characters become like real people to me.Ĥ. Pepperdine University and Miami University and the University of Cincinnati. Even if your teacher says you have to know for a report, that is information that I will not share. I will not tell you the year, so please respect my wishes and don't ask. Nomber_key:000034Cleveland, Ohio-many moons ago.

Little Sister Is Not My Name! by Sharon M. Draper